


New Beginnings

by kirschhhstein



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 18:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2821424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirschhhstein/pseuds/kirschhhstein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Oh Armin.  Oh Armin no, you didn't."</p><p>Armin bit his lip as though holding back a smile.  His boyfriend was being too overdramatic, really.</p><p>"Baby, your nose." Jean moaned, cradling the shorter boy's face between his cupped hands.  He couldn't stop staring at that tiny silver stud.  On his perfect boyfriend's perfect nose.  "What did you do?"</p><p> </p><p>** based on 'tattoos' prompt for jearmin week iii **</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Beginnings

"Oh Armin.  Oh Armin no, you didn't."

Armin bit his lip as though holding back a smile.  His boyfriend was being too overdramatic, really.

"Baby, your  _nose."_ Jean moaned, cradling the shorter boy's face between his cupped hands.  He couldn't stop staring at that tiny silver stud.  On his perfect boyfriend's perfect nose.  "What did you  _do?"_

"I think it looks good."  Armin jerked his chin, pulling away from Jean's grasp and crossing his arms defensively over his black crop top.  There was another thing Jean had had to get used to recently - other people but him able to see Armin's lovely smooth white navel.  "And it's  _my_ face so I can do what I want with it.  And Eren told me he thinks it's cool."

Jean's outstretched hands clenched and unclenched the air in sheer frustration.  He thought he might cry.  "But... why?"

Armin shrugged, glancing down towards the ground at their feet.  He raised a hand to self-consciously rub at his nose, and Jean immediately felt horrible for making such a big deal out of it.  "I guess I'm still finding myself, and... and testing the waters a bit.  Aren't you okay with that?"

Jean swallowed, looking down at his forlorn boyfriend.  Truth be told, he was still getting used to the latest changes.  The dresses, the varied make-up styles, the ever changing opinion on shaving his hair (though Jean managed to talk him out of that one every time, much to his own guilty relief).  Armin's appearance had been fluctuating for months, until he announced to Jean that he had just settled on "whatever the heck I feel like looking like that day."

And it wasn't as though his boyfriend had changed on the inside.  He was still the same sweet, incredibly freaking smart, occasionally cheeky boy after all.  Jean guessed he had a weird nostalgia thing for the way his highschool sweetheart used to dress in sweater vests and carefully tucked shirts.   _What a nerd._ Jean had thought fondly for years until he plucked up the courage to ask him out.   _I like him._

Like had turned to love and they both stayed the same except they didn't.  Armin had left all of his insecurities and false impressions of himself behind.  Jean didn't feel like he'd progressed much at all since they'd been together.  If he was being honest with himself, Jean had grown anxious about Armin's recent changes.  As though eventually Armin was going to leave him behind too.

But the way Armin was biting his lip and fidgeting with his fingers in a familiar habit made Jean realise that maybe Armin hadn't changed too much after all, and that Jean was just being a big baby about this.

"Ugh... yeah.  Sorry, I'm being kind of dickish about it."  Jean sighed, reaching a hand up to brush against Armin's cheek.  "It's actually kind of cute.  Does it hurt?"

"It's a little tender."  Armin admitted, but beamed and took Jean's hands in his own.  He swung them back and forth, bouncing lightly on his toes.  "So... I'm still cute?"

"Yeah, you are."  Jean groaned like it was a huge inconvenience.  "Just... let me know beforehand when you do stuff like this okay?  So I can like... hold your hand or whatever."

"Of course."

 

*

 

A few weeks later, Jean found himself being let off his shift early at the soft play (he heaved a huge sigh of relief, thank god for kids throwing tantrums and their parents cancelling their parties in retaliation) and figured he may as well pay Armin a visit at the bakery.  He loved slipping in when his boyfriend was working, blowing kisses at him behind the counter from across the room and making him flustered.  Jean was pretty sure that's how he won Armin over in the first place.

He walked in and glanced around, seeking out that familiar blond hair that Armin's manager always made him tie back in a braid on shift.  However he was nowhere to be seen.  Pretty sure Armin told him he was working today, Jean approached the counter to speak to one of Armin's colleagues and find out what was going on.

"Hey Bertholdt, Armin around?"

The dark-haired boy gave an unsteady jolt when he saw Jean, almost banging his head off of the shelf behind him.  "O-oh, hey Jean... Uh, no Armin's not... not here."  He edged to the left, trying to casually swipe the breadcrumbs from the counter as though their conversation was over with that tidbit of information.

"I could've sworn he was working today... Where is he?"  Jean followed him along the counter with a frown.

Bertholdt swallowed, now just staring at the breadcrumbs.  "Um, he's out... twenty-five, twenty-six..."

"Uh, are you counting the crumbs?"

"...twenty-nine, thirty..."

Jean rolled his eyes at Bertholdt's bizarre evasion techniques and slammed his hands down firmly on the counter.  "Bertholdt, where is my boyfriend?"

"... thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty six-"

_"Bertholdt."_

"He's at the parlour with Reiner, I'm sorry!"  He squeaked, squeezing his eyes shut in terror before covering his face with his hands.

The parlour.  As in Reiner's tattoo parlour.  Oh.

Jean was out of the bakery and down the street in a flash, resisting the urge to flat-out run straight to the parlour.  Now that he thought about it, Reiner was probably the one that pierced Armin's ears and nose.  It was probably at his parlour where Armin would've first inquired about the tattoo designs.  God, Jean felt stupid.  And after Armin promised he would talk to Jean beforehand about these kinds of things.  Why didn't he this time?

 _Because he knew I'd probably try to talk him out of it._ Jean thought to himself in shame and walked quicker.

He reached the parlour, ignoring the flashing neon sighs out front and throwing himself inside.  He saw Reiner first, leaning down with a needle in hand over the chair.  However his noisy entrance piqued Reiner's attention as he stood up straight and called out Jean's name in surprise.  When Reiner stood, Jean could now see the person in the chair.

Armin suddenly propped himself up on his elbows, mumbling "oh crap crap crap" over and over again as red blossomed on his cheeks.  His dress was bunched around his hips, obviously so as to allow Reiner access to his upper thigh where he just seemed to have been adding the finishing touches to the blue swallow inked into Armin's skin.  Jean stared at it silently for a good ten seconds.  Then -

"Shit.  O-oh no..."

Armin rolled his eyes, despite his own blushing cheeks.  "Jean... I'm sorry I didn't talk to you beforehand, okay?  But -"

"Oh no no no no no no no no."  Jean sank into a crouch, his hand in his hands.  The mild annoyance on Armin's face slipped as he bit his lip anxiously.  He knew Jean might be mad, but to be this upset about it?  Did Jean really hate the idea of Armin having a tattoo so much?

 _"Shit."_ Jean mumbled into his hand.  He felt his face reddening and a bizarre tightening in his chest.  "It's really hot.

Eyes widening in delight, Armin's face lit up in a shy smile.  "Oh... R-really?  You don't think it's ugly?"

"Nothing can ever be ugly on you, Armin."  Jean sighed, getting to his feet unsteadily and crossing over to his happily blushing boyfriend.  Reiner had already rolled his eyes and wandered off.  "You could be my hairy biker boyfriend and you'd still be gorgeous."

"Hm."  Armin hummed thoughtfully.  "I'd be a great hairy biker though."

"Oh god, I was joking.  I'm not sure how I'd react to you growing a beard."

"Aha, but it'd be a  _gorgeous_ beard."

"Baby, no -"

"I'm kidding."  Armin giggled.  "Really though, you don't think it's dumb or anything?  The whole 'new beginnings' meaning behind it?"

"Armin, there's nothing dumb at all about new beginnings.  It's actually kind of perfect."  Jean said, and leaned over to kiss the top of his head.  "Every day with you feels like the start of something new.  Of something amazing."

Armin sighed contentedly, and reached down to entwine their hands.  "I'm definitely getting something for you somewhere next."


End file.
